Quiet vs Quieten

Question

HiCould you please tell me if I understand the following correctly?QUIET DOWN = transitive verbQUIETEN DOWN = intransitive verbThe mother was trying to quiet down the crying baby. orThe mother was quieting down the crying baby.butThe crying baby didn't quieten down the whole night.Thanks,Tom

Avangi · Accepted Answer

You have the collocation as both "quieten down" and "quieting down." "Quieten" is not correct, although people casually drop the "g" in conversation.
Good! They're finally quietin' down!

Mr. TomThe mother was trying to quiet down the crying baby. or fine

The mother was quieting down the crying baby. fine

but

The crying baby didn't quieten down the whole night. The crying baby didn't quiet down the whole night. I'd say "to quiet down" is a compound verb which may be used both transitively and intransitively.

The tricky thing is that when you get into the exotic tenses (my term ) only the "main verb" changes.
They finally quieted down. (simple past)
They'll be quieting down in a few minutes. (future continuous)
Last time I checked, they still hadn't quieted down. (past perfect)

Mr. Tom · Answer

Thanks, Avangi!

So, which sounds more natural to you?

Would you please quiet down?

Would you please quieten down?

Tom

Avangi · Answer

There's no such word as "quieten."
This example is an imperative sentence. It's like "Please stop." You use the bare infinitive, or the root form, or whatever you call it.

"Please quiteing down!" is like sayng "Please stopping!"

When you try to figure these things out, try substituting "stop" for "quiet down." Do the same thing to "quiet" that you do to "stop."

They finally stopped. They finally quieted down. (ed)

I think they're stopping. I think they're quieting down. (ing)

They didn't stop. They didn't quiet down. (base form)
They hadn't stopped. They hadn't quieted down. (past participle - same form as simple past)

Mr. Tom · Answer

I am grateful, Avangi! Last question:

Am I to understand that Americans don't use "quieten" at all? And the word is used mainly in British English?

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/quieten

Tom

Avangi · Answer

Sorry about that, Mr. Tom! I swear I never heard that word in 73 years as a native speaker of English!

How do they use it in BrE?? Can you give me an example?

Hmmm. I guess you just did - at the very bottom of your reference:

Somehow I managed to quieten her down.

Boy, that sounds strange to me!

So since it's used here as an infinitive, we can assume that "quieten" is the base form. I wonder what the other forms are? Present participle "quietening"?
Yes, that's what it says. (I'm gradually waking up! )
It also says at the beginning of your reference that it's both transitive and intransitive.

I'll have to start reading more British authors. Had I come across it in Shakespeare, I would have assumed it was archaic.

Avangi · Answer

Mr. TomThanks, Avangi!

So, which sounds more natural to you?

Would you please quiet down?

Would you please quieten down?

Tom

To me, the first one.

Avangi · Answer

Mr. Tom Could you please tell me if I understand the following correctly?

QUIET DOWN = transitive verb Both transitive and intransitive

QUIETEN DOWN = intransitive verb Both transitive and intransitive

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Quieten is a standard part of my lexicon.

It's amazing we can understand each other at all, isn't it?

They seem to undertand the word in Iceland.

http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/04/21/icelandic-volcano-continues-to-quieten-down/

Icelandic volcano continues to quieten down

Clive

Avangi · Answer

Thanks, Clive. <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Anonymous · Answer

Home > Collins English Dictionary > quieten
Your search found: quieten Usage examples Trends quieten ('kwa??t?n )
Definitions verb (mainly British) (often followed by down) to make or become calm, silent, etc; pacify or become peaceful (transitive) to allay (fear, doubts, etc)
Synonyms View thesaurus entry = silence, subdue, stifle, still, stop, quiet, mute, hush, quell, muffle, shush (informal) = soothe, calm, allay, dull, blunt, alleviate, appease, lull, mitigate, assuage, mollify, deaden, tranquillize, palliate

Example Sentences Including 'quieten' The Amish girl tried her best to quieten down, but she was still frightened. Keene, Carolyn THE WITCH TREE SYMBOL The previous evening, as the streets had begun to quieten , she had been strangely drawn to the roof of the building. Forrest, Roberta WHEN THE APRICOTS BLOOM He never bothered to quieten his movements for the benefit of the sleeping household. Fraser, Christine Marion NOBLE BEGINNNINGS Comments Log in to comment on this word.

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